Hitman 2

Hitman 2 with the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti presents a classic pairing of a solid mainstream processor with a capable upper-midrange graphics card. The benchmark data shows a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but the CPU still plays a critical role in maximizing frame rates at 1080p. The results reveal a clear hierarchy: the RTX 3060 Ti drives performance at 1440p and 4K, while the i5-11400F's six cores are sufficient to keep pace at lower settings where frame rates spike.

Resolution Scaling

The most telling data point is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings. At 1080p, the combo averages 85.1 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, that figure falls to 52 FPS, a reduction of roughly 39%. At 3840x2160, the average plunges to just 30 FPS, which is a 65% drop from the 1080p result. This steep decline is a textbook indicator of a GPU-bound scenario; the rendering load is scaling directly with pixel count, and the RTX 3060 Ti simply runs out of shader throughput and memory bandwidth at 4K.

The scaling pattern across all settings reinforces this conclusion. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p (144.5 FPS) to 1440p (91.7 FPS) and then to 4K (50.8 FPS) shows a consistent, roughly 50% performance hit at each step up in resolution. The RTX 3060 Ti's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated at 4K, even on Low. Conversely, at 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU's performance becomes a more significant factor. The 144.5 FPS at Low settings is likely near the ceiling for this processor in this game, even if the GPU could theoretically render more frames if it were paired with a faster chip.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 1795 tested combos for Hitman 2, this configuration ranks 1223rd. This places it in the lower third of all tested systems, which might seem surprising given the hardware's pedigree. The rank reflects the game's age and the fact that many newer, more powerful CPUs and GPUs have been tested since this title's release. The RTX 3060 Ti, while strong, is outclassed by newer cards in the database, and the i5-11400F is a mid-range part, not a flagship. The 1223rd position out of 1795 indicates that while this is a capable setup, it sits behind a significant number of higher-end configurations in the database.

The GPU's percentile ranking versus all GPUs is 69, meaning it performs better than 69% of all graphics cards in the database. This is a solid result, placing the RTX 3060 Ti comfortably in the upper-middle tier. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, which is 0.2% slower, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600, which is 0.5% slower. This suggests that in Hitman 2, the 3060 Ti is right on par with these competing AMD options, with negligible differences in average score. The CPU's percentile is 75, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, has an identical average score. This indicates that the i5-11400F is a very balanced performer for its class, sitting in a performance bracket where many processors deliver similar overall throughput.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the undisputed performance driver in this pairing for Hitman 2 at higher resolutions. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is a critical asset, but the data suggests it's also a limitation. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate collapses to 19.3 FPS, which is unplayable. This is not a CPU bottleneck; it's the GPU being overwhelmed by the combination of high pixel count and maximum settings. The 4K Medium result of 38.3 FPS and 4K High of 30 FPS show that even dropping from Ultra to Medium provides a significant, but not sufficient, improvement.

The GPU's core specifications explain this behavior. With 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, the RTX 3060 Ti has substantial compute power. However, the 8 GB frame buffer appears to be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where texture detail and memory usage spike. The boost clock of 1665 MHz and the 256-bit memory bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are standard for this class of card. At 1080p, the GPU is not the bottleneck; the data shows it can push well over 100 FPS on Medium and High, with a peak of 144.5 FPS at Low. This suggests the card has headroom that is being capped by the CPU at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Hitman 2?

A: Not at playable frame rates. The data shows an average of 30 FPS at 4K High and only 19.3 FPS at 4K Ultra. Even at 4K Low, the average is 50.8 FPS, which is borderline but not smooth for a stealth game.

Q: What is the best resolution to play this game with this setup?

A: The sweet spot is 2560x1440. At High settings, the average is 52 FPS, which is playable, and at Low settings, it reaches 91.7 FPS. 1080p is also excellent, with an average of 85.1 FPS at High and over 144 FPS at Low.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its closest rivals in this game's benchmark?

A: The data shows it is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (0.2% slower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (0.5% slower). The performance difference is negligible in practical terms.

Q: Will upgrading the CPU improve 4K performance?

A: No. The frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K is consistent across all settings, which is a clear sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU has minimal impact on 4K performance in this title.

Q: What is the performance hit from Ultra to High settings at 1440p?

A: Dropping from Ultra to High at 2560x1440 increases the average frame rate from 38.2 FPS to 52 FPS, a significant improvement of about 36%. This is a worthwhile trade-off for smoother gameplay.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at any point?

A: Yes, at 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 144.5 FPS. This high frame rate suggests the processor's 6 cores and 12 threads are near their limit, potentially preventing even higher frame rates if the GPU could render them.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the i5-11400F and RTX 3060 Ti deliver strong results across the board. Low settings produce an average of 144.5 FPS, Medium yields 112.2 FPS, and High settings average 85.1 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still manages a respectable 61.6 FPS. This resolution is the clear choice for high refresh rate monitors, as the frame rates are consistently high.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU starts to work harder. Low settings average 91.7 FPS, which is excellent. Medium settings provide 72.5 FPS, and High settings drop to 52 FPS. Ultra settings are where the system struggles, with an average of only 38.2 FPS. This resolution offers a good balance of visual quality and performance for High and Medium settings.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3060 Ti is clearly over-matched. Low settings average 50.8 FPS, Medium drops to 38.3 FPS, High falls to 30 FPS, and Ultra is barely playable at 19.3 FPS. The 4K data shows that this combo is not suitable for 4K gaming except at the lowest settings, and even then, the experience is not ideal.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake generation. With a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, it provides solid single-thread performance, which is crucial for Hitman 2's game logic and AI. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache is adequate for this game. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029, indicate it is a capable mid-range part.

The CPU's role in Hitman 2 is most evident at 1080p with lower settings. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 144.5 FPS. This high number suggests the CPU is doing its job, but it may also be the limiting factor. If the RTX 3060 Ti were paired with a faster processor, the 1080p Low result might be higher. However, at higher resolutions and settings, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU's performance is sufficient. The data shows that the CPU's percentile ranking of 75 and its close rival scores (0% to -0.2% delta) mean it is well-matched with its performance peers, providing no negative impact on the overall gaming experience in this title. The 65W TDP and Intel Socket 1200 platform make it a straightforward, efficient choice for a gaming build of this class.